Former leading New Zealand publisher and bookseller, and widely experienced judge of both the Commonwealth Writers Prize and the Montana New Zealand Book Awards, talks about what he is currently reading, what impresses him and what doesn't, along with chat about the international English language book scene, and links to sites of interest to booklovers.

Monday, October 23, 2017

Standing Room Only

This week's
stories

Auckland artist Pascal Atiga-Bridger blends elements of
the Union Jack onto flags from pacific Island nations to create new
flags that tell a 21st century story. He also manipulates the Union
Jack, changing its colours to those of Pacific Island flags. But it's
not an act of protest - in fact he feels it still belongs on the New
Zealand flag.Oct 22, 2017
02:35 pm

Christchurch author Patrick Evans returns to his muse -
writer Janet Frame - for the third in his trilogy about her life. In
Salt Picnic, set in 1956, Evans has fictionalised the few known facts
about Janet Frame's time in Spain, creating a protagonist called Iola.
Cynthia Morihan reads from Salt Picnic, and Lynn Freeman speaks with
Evans about the novel, published by Victoria University Press.Oct 22, 2017
02:25 pm

November is National Novel Writing Month, where writers
sign up to write 50,000 words over the 30 days in November, a goal
reached by more than 34, 000 writers internationally last year (though
384,000 signed up). Professor Toni Bruce has published a novel that she
started as part of the challenge in 2015, called Terra Ludus, and this
year has signed up for the fifth time.Oct 22, 2017
01:50 pm

Sixteen locally-made short films feature in this year's
Top of the South Film Festival in Nelson. Lynn Freeman speaks with two
film makers whose work is about to premiere there - Doug Brooks (Sons
of 71) and writer, dancer and actor Dawn Marron (Bananaruma).Oct 22, 2017
12:46 pm

Children's book writer and illustrator Donovan Bixley
has just been awarded the 2017 Mallinson Rendel Illustrators Award from
the New Zealand Arts Foundation, and $15,000 dollar gift that goes with
it.Oct 22, 2017
12:30 pm

Father and daughter Peter and Cait O'Connor set up the
Teaspoon of Light theatre company in Christchurch after the
earthquakes, working with young children in the most quake-affected
schools. Lynn Freeman speaks with Peter and Cait ahead of a trip to
Mexico for similar work.Oct 22, 2017
12:12 pm